Pictures: Racing to the Finish at Shell Eco-Marathon

1 / 23

Students learn as much about teamwork as they do about engineering in the Shell Eco-marathon competition to design fuel efficient vehicles.

Teams from 30 universities and 18 high schools from the United States and Canada converged on Houston for Eco-marathon Americas competition on April 16 and 17. They brought 69 homemade vehicles to the U.S. oil industry capital for a weekend of slow-speed racing (averaging 15 mph), all to show it is possible to create cars that use less fuel.

Shante Stowell (left) and Semira Kern of Granite Falls (Washington) High School share a cheer in their pit area in the George R. Brown Convention Center while teammate Pooja Sethi smiles. Granite Falls, the first all-girls team to enter Shell's 26-year-old Eco-marathon program, won the diesel division prize last year and had high hopes for their lime green vehicle, the Iron Maiden, this year.

But technical problems denied them their fuel economy goal of 678 miles per gallon (288 kilometers per liter), which would have broken the previous Shell Eco-marathon Americas record for diesel vehicles. Instead, they ran at 378 mpg (161 km/l) and received a special award for safety in vehicle design, construction and onsite behavior. They also were able to cheer their schoolmates, as a second team from Granite Falls won the $1,000 first prize for diesel energy vehicles with their entry in the challenging "urban concept" category for autos that meet safety criteria for driving on city streets.

At opening ceremonies Saturday, Shell executive vice president Bruce Culpepper foreshadowed the weekend's ups and downs: "We know that the path to success is littered with frustration, failure, broken parts, and sometimes even broken hearts," he said.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Checking Under the Solar Hood

A team member makes some final adjustments beneath Purdue University’s solar-powered urban concept car, the "Celeritas"—named after the Latin word for "speed of light," the "c" in the equation e = mc squared.

Purdue took home a $1,500 first prize for designing the only "street-legal" solar vehicle entered in the race, and for a run that achieved 64.5 miles (104 kilometers) per kilowatt hour. The Shell contest didn’t post the electric car results this year in a format that would enable comparison to gasoline cars. But such a conversion can be done using the formula that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has adopted for the new Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and other electric vehicles, which gauges 33.7 kwh to be equivalent to 1 gallon of gasoline. Using that standard, Purdue’s result was equivalent to 2,174 miles per gallon.

With the help of sponsors like Lockheed Martin, Exelon and GE Energy, Purdue University’s team spent $90,000 to $100,000 on Celeritas, said team manager Ted Pesyna. But he explained that the goal was not just to create a car for one contest, but to take to events around Indiana and the nation as a teaching tool. The team is in the process of getting a vehicle identification number and license from the state of Indiana.

"We want to show everyone the viability of the electric motor and alternative energy," Pesyna says. "We wanted to create a car that looks like a vehicle in today’s society, that has a feel where a consumer could say, ‘I could see myself taking that to work or driving to the grocery store."

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A Lift for Safety

Erik Avery, one of the drivers for Cicero North Syracuse High School's team from Cicero, New York, watches while his seat belt is lifted with a bar to test for strength by Jan Ott (left) and Dave Sheddrick. Denise Cansler checks the connection between the lifting bar and the harness.

The Clean Green Machine not only passed the safety test, but eventually won a $1,500 first prize for prototype hydrogen vehicles, hitting a mark of 44.1 miles (71 kilometers) per kilowatt-hour. That’s the equivalent of 1,486 mpg (632 km/l).

Students in the Eco-marathon are required not only to have safety restraints and firewalls in the car (if they are using flammable fuel), they must wear full racing gear—driving suits, helmets, goggles, gloves—and have a roll bar installed to protect the driver's head.

Adrian Juergens, who works in fuel research for Shell Global Solutions, and who serves as technical manager for the Eco-marathon event in the United States, says he has seen prototype vehicles roll over (and the students walk away, unharmed.)

"They are using carbon fiber, aluminum, and doing everything they can to keep the weight down," says Juergens. "You can get too light—and on windy days the vehicle can roll over real easy." The same can happen on the race's unbanked curves on city streets; even though it's not a speed race, Juergens says he's seen racers try to go too fast as the adrenaline of competition kicks in.

"That's why I really appreciate the urban concept vehicles," which can handle the city streets much better, he says. A dozen cars this year were entered in the category for vehicles that meet safety criteria for driving on streets.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Measure by Measure

Guy Lovett of Shell carefully pours 150 milliliters of gasoline from a graduated cylinder into the tiny glass tank of one of the two prototype cars entered into the race by Wawasee High School of Syracuse, Indiana.

Juergens says that glass tanks are used because of the importance of being able to visualize the amount of fuel being used. "That's the magic line," he says. Because the tanks are breakable, teams must secure them carefully. Juergens says plastic compounds are under consideration for the future, but make sure to pick one that doesn't react with the solvents in the fuel is an important consideration.

For the competition, different fuel types are dyed different colors to avoid any mixups. The light red fuel, shown here, is gasoline. Ethanol is colored blue. The Wawasee team also fielded another vehicle with a tank filled up with clear fuel, diesel. That car, the Diesel Weasel, won first place among the diesel cars—a $1,000 prize for a 574.8 mpg (244 km/l) run.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Harvesting Mileage From Grain

Mike Reyerson (left), works with his father, Jerry, on some last-minute adjustments on the Green Machine, a 100 percent ethanol-fueled vehicle fielded by Alden-Conger High School of Alden, Minnesota. As they run the engine, a sweet grain alcohol smell fills their pit’s corner of the convention center.

Showing high mileage can be achieved with fuel alcohol produced from corn is an important statement for the team, which heralds from the state with the most ethanol filling stations. Their faculty adviser, David Bosma, not only teaches chemistry and physics, but operates a 220-acre farm. “Being able to use our own corn for alternative energy is really great,” says team member Tyler Adix, who also grew up on a farm.

Alden Conger won $1,000, taking second place among"alternative gasoline" vehicles with a 758.8 mpg (322 km/l) run. (First place, also for $1,000, went to another 100 percent ethanol team from the heartland, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which achieved 871 mpg (370 km/l).

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A New Window on Driving

Alexandra Schwier, driver for the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, of Terre Haute, Indiana, gets the feel of the cockpit under the plastic shell that serves as the body of her team's entry in the Shell Eco-marathon.

The contest rules state that windows cannot be made of material that can shatter into shards, and suggest that students use a polycarbonate plastic like Lexan—the same material used in many soda bottles. Rose-Hulman's team decided to go all the way with the light plastic. One of the team's vehicles (not the one shown) placed third among internal combustion vehicles, with a mark of 1,476 mpg (627 km/l).

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Weighing the Opportunity

Drexel University driver Conjee Yeung stands on a scale while Shell volunteer Mary Van Rossen, right, checks whether he is heavy enough to meet the weight requirements, and team advisor, Drexel grad student Pramod Abichandani peers over to see the results.

As part of their effort to reduce weight and fuel consumption, teams usually choose their lightest members to drive their vehicles. But the contest rules require that the drivers be at least 110 pounds (50 kilograms) in full driving gear, both for safety and fairness.

Drexel's team was the only one of the five teams in the prototype vehicle category to complete a valid run—generating more energy from their solar panels than they used to complete the six-mile track. Their result of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per kilowatt hour was the equivalent of 3,033 mpg.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Start Your Engines

The University of British Columbia's urban concept car, The Argo, gets the green flag to start a test run before the Shell Eco-marathon Americas in Houston.

Three Canadian teams were among the 48 schools entered in the contest, including the first-place winner, Universite Laval from Quebec City. University of British Columbia completed the race with a result of 214 mpg.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A No-Frills Ride

Matt Migliorini, a senior at Sullivan High School of Sullivan, Indiana, waits in line for his turn at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas. He described team’s low-profile vehicle as "just big enough for a driver and an engine, basically."

Sullivan’s team was one of four Indiana high schools in the competition. The state that is home to Indy racing has long had its own fuel efficient design contest for high school students. Many of the Indiana high school teams at the Eco-marathon are veterans of the state’s competition, or they field teams for both.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A Can-Do Attitude

With an urban concept vehicle made of the red prefinished aluminum donated a couple of years ago by a local Alcoa plant, Mater Dei High School of Evansville, Indiana, was a favorite coming into the race.

Although the back hatch of the vehicle swung open on a test run, seen here, the team ultimately had a successful run with their vehicle nicknamed George, clocking in at 586.6 mpg, for a $2,500 second prize. Mater Dei won the urban concept vehicle category last year with the same car.

This year, the school’s successes spanned all fuel types in the Eco-marathon contest. Mater Dei took first prize in the prototype plug-in vehicle category, achieving 386.2 miles per kilowatt hour. And the school took second place in prototype internal combustion cars, another $2,500 prize, with a best run of 1,798.7 mpg.

Evan Vibbert, one of the Mater Dei’s drivers, said his strategy was simple."Find a line, stay on the line, and avoid hitting the potholes," he said. "It's a blast."

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Too Much of a Good Thing

Although his team’s solar car needs the sun to run, Purdue University team member Kevin Wang seeks the shade for some rest after an afternoon of making adjustments to the team’s prototype-style vehicle.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A Car That Looks Like a Car

The team at California Polytechnic Institute from San Luis Obispo, California, won a technical innovation award for an onboard electronics set-up, with custom data acquisition and monitoring systems for its black vehicle—probably one of the largest vehicles entered in the race.

But the students went the extra mile to make the vehicle light, even building from scratch their own wheels from carbon fiber donated by one of their sponsors. As a result, their wheels weighed four pounds each instead of 20 pounds each, explained team manager Gabe Mountjoy. The students also made their own fuel injection system from scratch, although the way the car looked also was important.

"The main point is we wanted to make a car that looks like a car," said Mountjoy. "We wanted it to be realistic, so people think it’s a car, not a pod on the ground with a couple of wheels." Internally there is a touchscreen digital dashboard, a GPS and a sound system. The vehicle wirelessly transmitted data on drag and engine performance to the students who monitored from the sidelines with a laptop and mobile phones.

The Cal Poly students named their vehicle "Capax," Latin for "capable and efficient."

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Efficiency Payoff

Cal Poly's teammates mob their manager, Mountjoy, after they see how little fuel their vehicle used up after it finished the six-mile course. They include Steve Janning, (back left), Myles Bradwell (back right), and in the front, Kyla Purvis (left), Mountjoy, Jose Garcia and Adriano Agostino. They were able to estimate from the sidelines what was later confirmed by Shell's technicians—the Capax urban concept vehicle hit a mark of 425 mpg.

Although that put them in first place early the first day of the two-day contest, they were later surpassed by Louisiana Tech, at 647 mpg, and Mater Dei High School, at 587 mpg.

The Cal Poly team approached the job methodically. "Getting out there and getting a run in is the first goal," said Mountjoy. It is one of the younger college teams running the race—with lots of sophomores and juniors, Mountjoy expects the students—including mechanical, electrical engineers and computer science students—will keep working on efficiency throughout their college careers.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Easy Does It

Aron Scalf, the driver of Granite Falls High School's urban concept vehicle, gets a signal from teammates on the sidelines that he should ease up on acceleration. Driving at slower speeds can reduce fuel burn, but the contestants at the Shell Eco-marathon are required to maintain a 15 mph average. Granite Falls' strategy worked, as the vehicle took first place in the diesel urban concept vehicle division.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Rocket to Victory

For the third straight year, Université Laval of Québec City won the Shell Eco-marathon Americas student design competition, with a vehicle that looked more like a white rocket ship than a car. Its 2,564.8 mpg (1,090 km/l) run beat its own previous year’s performance by 77 mpg (33 km/l).

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Seeing the Finish Line

Quinn Schraeder of Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Indiana, cruises to a second-place finish among prototype internal combustion vehicles at the Shell Eco-marathon. Made of aluminum and shrink wrap, the vehicle weighed in at 78 pounds. On a break between runs, he directed a teammate to add air to the tires. "We’re always making adjustments," he says. "When you don’t know what to do, pump up the tire pressure."

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Just Cruising Downtown

Matt Migliorini drove the Sullivan High School gasoline prototype car for a run of 449 mpg (191 km/l) Saturday at the Eco-marathon. The Houston event is the only one of Shell’s three Eco-marathon events that is held on city streets.

The bumps and irregularities in the roads mean that the teams can’t gain as high mileage as they would on a track. But Mark Singer, Shell’s global project manager for the Eco-marathons, said he had long wanted the teams to compete in an urban setting, so their accomplishments could be viewed by more people and their competition would mimic real-world conditions.

The race took place around Discovery Green, a 12-acre park with LEED Gold-certified facilities that showcase energy conservation and environmentally friendly design. “Houston is all about cars,” said Mayor Annise Parker, appearing at the Green to help open the race. But she said that in addition to being an oil and gas industry capital, Houston aims to embrace an alternative energy future.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

A Tiger in the Hydrogen Tank

University of Missouri’s "Tigergen" vehicle, complete with tail, won a $1,500 first prize as the only urban concept vehicle fueled by a hydrogen fuel cell. Mizzou achieved nearly 14 miles per kilowatt-hour, equivalent to about 472 mpg (204 km/l).

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

Retro Look, Futuristic Design

Louisiana Tech University won first place among the urban concept vehicles in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas. Its vehicle was crafted with the retro look of a Plymouth Prowler in the front and the futuristic flourish of a Mazda concept car in the rear. Louisiana Tech also took home a separate award for design for its bright red roadster, which achieved an efficiency mark of 647 mpg (275 km/liter).

In the background, Penn State University’s diesel-powered concept follows; it ended the contest with a mark of 153 mpg (65 km/l).

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Power of Plastic

Alexandra Schwier drives a gasoline prototype car built by students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology that is covered with a shell made from polycarbonate plastic Lexan during the first day of competition at the Eco-marathon in Houston.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

More Important Than Records

Aron Scalf drives to a victory in the diesel division in the urban concept vehicle designed by one of two teams from Granite Falls High School in Washington State.

The two Granite Falls teams worked under the guidance of their school’s manufacturing teacher, Michael Werner, a native of Switzerland, who previously worked as an endurance race car mechanic and restored vintage airplanes. Early on the morning of the race he walked the track in solitude, taking notes. "I admit I get a little focused," Werner said.

Afterwards, he was thrilled for his teams, feeling they achieved something more important than any record. "Perseverance, overcoming obstacles and trying until the last minute," Werner said. "That’s huge."

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Meaning of Perseverance

Track officials push Ryan Durr, a junior at St Paul's School in Covington, Louisiana, after the team’s 30-milliliter tank ran out of fuel. The car was running on a last-minute replacement engine. After its original conked out, the team ran to a Lowe’s hardware store and bought a leaf blower to salvage its engine for the car. But it proved too ineffcient and gobbled up all the gasoline in the team's small gas tank.

But another St. Paul’s School vehicle, Clawzz, achieved a 179.1-mpg (76 km/l) run to win the $1,000 first-place award for diesel-fueled prototype vehicles.

Photograph by Harley Soltes, National Geographic

The Work Is Never Done

Purdue team member Kevin Wang works under the solar-panel body of the school's prototype entry while driver Sirisha Bandla waits to start a Sunday morning run. Although Purdue won with its solar urban concept vehicle, its prototype never was able to make a valid run under the Eco-marathon contest rules. (The cars can’t run on their back-up battery power but have to generate more solar power than they use.)